LEDs cut tomato costs, not yield

The average tomato is shipped about 1,500 miles from warmer climates where they’re grown to cooler climates that cannot produce the fruit cost-effectively in the winter. But the journey is costly—tomatoes are picked green and ripen during shipping, decreasing quality and flavor. The lengthy shipping distance also adds to the industry’s carbon footprint. “It makes it really hard for the greenhouse industry to grow tomatoes well in the offseason,” says Cory Mitchell, professor of horticulture at Purdue University. “We’re trying to change that and make it affordable.”